Sewage-disposal apparatus



March 3, 1931. G. R. RODDY SEWAGE DISPOSAL APPARATUS Filed Aug. 16. 1929 2 Sheets-Shea?. 2

Patented Mar. 3, 1931 *UNITED STATES APxrrzlv'r OFFICE ousrav n. noDDY, I' MILWAUKEE, wIscoNs'n'I, AssIeNoR To CHAIN BELT confirm,

oF MILWAUKEE, wIscoNsIN, aconrom'rroiv or wIscoNsnI SEWAGE-DISPOSAL APPARATUS i i Application filed August 16, 1929. Serial No. 386,366.

v This invention relates to sewage .disposal apparatus, and has for, one of its objects to provide an apparatus of this character which will be simple in construction, comparatively l inexpensive t0 manufacture and install, and

'more eiiicient in use than those which have been heretofore (proposed.

In my co-pen ing application, filed Aug.

16, 1929, Serial Number 386,359, entitled Sewage disposal systems, I have described and claimed a lsewage 'disposal apparatus whereby it is possiblekto construct and employ concrete settling tanks of relatively great width, as compared to lthose which are now common, and in which the entire iioor area is free and unobstructed so that it may be subjected to the cleaning and scraping action of the sludge-removing conveyors over its entire surface. In the construction described in the said co-pend-ing application there are no division walls or supporting columns or pillars within the tank, and in order to support the upper runs of the conveyors there are provided transversely exu tending beams or girders spanning the tank from one side wall to the other.

In some instances, however, as, for examle, inthe case of tanks of extreme width, It is desirable or necessary to introduce up- 0 right columns or pillars for supporting the superstructure on which the upper runs of the conveyors travel, while at the same time it is also desirable to have the iioor otherw 1se free from obstructions in the form of division walls which are extremely expensive/co construct whereby its entire surface,... except for these pillars, may be freed ofsltxdge by the conveyor iiights. It is one ofthe principal objects of the present invention to provide 4 such La construction, as will appear more fully below.

With the above and other objects in vlew, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements-of-parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and pointed out in the appended claims. l v Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which like reference characters designate like parts in al1I tle views,

Fig. lis a sectional plan view of a portion of a settling tank for a sewage disposal system and its associated mechanim as constructed in accordance with the present in` Fig. 2 vis a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, taken approximately on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of said figure;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken approximately on the plane indicated by the line 3 1-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional plan view illustrating the hinged wings or end members4 carried by the conveyor iights and the manner in which they pass the. columns or pillars;

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one ofthe columns or pillars and the superstructure supported thereby; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan View, partly in section, of one.` of the conveyor iights, illustrating in detail the construction of the hinged wings.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2

and 3, 10 indicates generally a settling tank for a sewage disposal system having an end wall 11, side walls 12, and bottom 13. The end wall 1l. is provided with suitable ports or inlet passages 14, which may be Vcontrolled by suitable valves, not shown, and which per mit sewage from the conduit 15 to enter the tank as will be readily understood.

As is usual in this class of apparatus, there is provided a plurality of endless conveyorsA 16, each comprising a pair of sprocket chains or belts 17, to which are secured'at suitable intervals the transverse flights 18. The chains 17 pass around sprocket wheels 19 journaled upon shafts 20, suitably mounted within the tank, and said chains may be driven from any source of power, notshoWn.

As was disclosed in my said cro-pending application, it has heretofore been the practice to makethe flights 18 of the sludge-removing conveyors of lumber which comes generally in l-foot lengths, and it has also been customary, where the quantity of sewage demands it, to provide two or more division walls within the sewage tanks arranged at l-foot intervals, and separating the tanksY into lf3-foot compartments,'in each of which a conveyor travels.

In the present case, however, in lieu of these 1 division walls which are expensive vto con- .of adjacent conveyors staggeredl and to have their end portions overlap transversely in order that the entire surface of the floor may be scraped. In the present instance this desirable feature is retained, although provision must be made for permitting the overlapping ends of the flights to yield as they pass the upright pillars 21, as will be readily.

appreciated. One method of accomplishing this hasbeen illustrated in the drawings, reference being had more particularly to Figs. 4

and 6. As will be clear from these figur/es,I

each end of the conveyor flights 18 is povided with a wing 30, which is pivotally connected to the flight itself at 31. The said wings 30 may have adjustable end portions 32, whereby the total length of the wmg may be increased or decreased to accommodate small variations of the distance betweenthe pillars or between the pillars and the side walls. Each wing member 30 is. also provided with an angular extension 33, to which vis pivotally secured as at 34 one end of a rod 35, the other end ofwhich is slidably received in an aperture 36, formed in an angular bracket member 37 carried by the main body lportion of the flight. nA coiled spring 38 surrounds the'rod 35 and has one of its ends abutting the bracket member 37, While the other end abuts a washer 39, behind which is mounted a pair of lock nuts 40, threaded upon the rod 35.

v The construction just described provides a c yielding or resilient connection between thel wings and the main body of the flights 18,

which permits the Said wings to be pushed backwards, as theyl pass the pillars 21, and to then resume their normal positions in line vwith the flights after they have passed the said pillars. In order to relieve the impact and strain upon the parts, the bottom portions of the pillars may be provided with op; posed V-shaped extensions 41, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and @providing inclined faces upon which the wings 30 may ride. In

' points.

.columns 2. In sewage disposal apparatus, a set-A orde-1` to equalize the pressures upon the flights of the conveyors adjacent the side y i walls 12, said walls are preferably provided with bulges or enlargements 42, opposite the illars 21, thereby preventing the conveyors rom being thrown out of alignment at these It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a construction whereby it is possible to have a concrete settling tank for a sewage disposal system of relatively great width as compared to those now in common use and in which the super-structure for supporting the upper runs of the sludge removmg conveyors 1s supported upon vertical columns or pillars, while at the same time it is possible to have the entire surface of the floor subjected to the scraping'action of the flights of the said conveyors, thereby completely removing' the sludge which settles from the sewage.

It will be understood that the lower runs of the conveyors travel'rom right to left, as

viewed in Fig. 2, and scrape the sludge into the well 43 at the inlet end of the tank, from which well the said sludgetmay be removed by a transverse conveyor 44, all as is disclosed in my'co-pending application.

While one form of my invention has been illustrated and described, it is obvious that those skilled in the art may-vary the details of construction, as well as the precise arrangements of parts, without departingfrom l the spirit of the invention, andtherefore itis not wished to be limited to the above dis- -closure except as maybe required by the claims. v

What I claim is: j 1. In sewage disposal apparatus, a settling tank of relatively great width devoid of division walls and having spaced upright columns for supporting a superstructure; and a plurality of sludge-removing conveyors in said tank having flights ada ted to remove sludge from all portions o the floor of said tank which are not' occupied 'by said tling tank of relatively great width devoid of division walls and having spaced upright los columns for supporting a superstructure; ,i

and a plurality of sludge-removing convey-v ors in said tank, the flights of adjacent con- Vveyors being Vstaggered and provided with end vportions which yield to flights to pass said columns. Y

3. In sewage disposal apparatus, asettling tank of relatively great. width devoid of division walls and having spaced upright columns for supporting a superstructure; and a plurality of sludge-removing conveyors in said tank, the flights of adjacent conveyors being staggered and provided with overlapping resilient end portions which yield to permit said flights to pass said columns.

permit said 4. In sewage disposal apparatus, a settling tank of relatively great width devoid of division walls and having spaced upright columns for supporting a superstructure; a plurality of sludge-removing conveyors in said tank, the flights of adjacent conveyors being staggered and provided with pivoted end wings which overlap one another; and resilient means normally maintaining said wings mond shaped bases adapted to be engaged-by the resilient end portions.

7'. In a sevvagedisposal apparatus, a set- I tling tank of relatively great width devoid of division Walls and having spaced upright columns for supporting a superstructure; and a. plurality of sludge-removing conveyors in said tank, the flights of which are provided with end portions which yield upon engagement with said columns to permit the 'lights to pass, the side walls of said tank being provided with projections opposite said columns to equalize the end thrust upon the iiights of the conveyors adjacent to said Walls.

In testimony whereof, I- ailix my signature.

GUSTAV R. RODDY. 

